Guns N' Roses, Heart, Faces get Rock Hall noms

I'm a day late with this. Didn't notice a thing about it Tuesday, then found the announcement languishing in my spam folder since 3 a.m. the night before. But in the interest of revisiting a favorite pastime -- debating the choices for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- I'd still like to toss this up for the record.

The 15 nominees for the Class of 2012 have been revealed, from which a final five will be selected come spring. And as has become a disturbing pattern, I don't have many gripes.

OK, so Yes and Rush and Kiss still can't get any respect. Cheap Trick or Roxy Music, either, or Randy Newman or Linda Ronstadt. And don't even get me started on the biggest-selling duo in history, Hall & Oates.

I'm thinking maybe one but not both, and possibly neither. The Beasties and Chili Peppers are heavy hitters, for starters, and the competition only gets stiffer once you add in the first-time nominees. (FYI: The eligibility period for this 27th roster cuts off at 1986 -- that is, an artist's first album had to have been out by then.)

Topping the list -- though why do I think they're gonna get passed over for years? -- is the Cure, one of the most internationally influential bands of the modern rock era. For a small example of just how rabidly adored Robert Smith and his ever-changing band still are more than 30 years on, watch how fast their just-announced Pantages gigs sell out come Halloween.

Another strong candidate, though I've never stopped considering them woefully overrated: Guns N' Roses. Their importance basically boils down to one landmark album, followed by a bloated mess of music and rapid burnout. Then again, look what Appetite for Destruction hath wrought. If the Sex Pistols can be celebrated for one crucial album, so should GNR.

Now add some fierce ladies to the mix. It could be a very good year for women at the Rock Hall ceremony (slated for April 14 in Cleveland), as several icons from as many genres are finally getting noticed. In addition to Summer and Nyro, nods have gone to three of hard-rock's pioneering females -- Joan Jettand the Wilson sisters of Heart -- plus R&B maven Chaka Khan, as part of the funk/soul band Rufus.

But wait, there's more: the wonderful Spinners, one of the finest '70s vocal groups, have finally been nominated; Eric B. & Rakim's inclusion proves that some of the 500 industry vets who vote on this stuff actually know their hip-hop; Freddie King is the latest blues torchbearer to make the list; and finally there are the Faces, who would be counted in both their Rod Stewart-voiced 1970-75 incarnation as well as the Steve Marriott-led Small Faces configuration of 1965-70.

That last one might seem like a long shot, but don't underestimate its pedigree. In addition to double-crowning Stewart (inducted in '94) and Ronnie Wood (with the Stones in '89), such an induction would give the Hall a chance to honor Marriott (who went on to form Humble Pie), keys master Ian McLagen, drummer Kenney Jones (also briefly with the Who, after Keith Moon died) and late great bassist Ronnie Lane.

The five I most want to see get in: the Beasties, Heart, Summer (give disco its due), GNR (let's see who shows up to accept) and the Cure, whose selection, like U2's in 2005 and R.E.M.'s in 2007, would be a progressive gesture that the giants of Gen X merit induction more than some lesser legends from longer ago. (The Chili Peppers would suffice, too. But let's also wonder why the Smiths and Depeche Mode are still being ignored.)

The two I'd bet money on are GNR and the Beasties. The rest? Nyro, Donavon, maybe Heart or King.

You, too, can go to the ceremony, by the way. Tables and VIP packages, if you've really got dough to blow, are already available, but individual tickets for the induction ceremony -- and its various planned performances and impromptu jams -- will go on sale in December. Visit the official Rock Hall site for details.

Oct. 3 update:Rod Stewart just issued a statement on the Faces' nomination ... and the potential of a reunion performance at the ceremony in April: "I'm thrilled to be nominated again. Being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1994 was a huge honor for me. If the Faces make it in, I can't think of a more befitting opportunity for the band to finally reunite and perform. I know I'd definitely be up for it."

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